Rosemary extract ameliorates cadmium-induced histological changes and oxidative damage in the liver of albino rat

The oxidative damage and histological changes of liver of rats exposed to cadmium and the ameliorative effect of rosemary extract against cadmium hepatotoxicity were studied. The results showed that exposure to Cd (30 mg/kg b.w., 5 consecutive days/week for 8 weeks) led to an increase in the MDA levels and a decrease in activity of SOD, CAT and the concentration of GSH versus controls. In contrast, administration of rosemary aqueous extract restored the changes in these parameters to nearly the normal levels. Treating animals with Cd led to different histopathological changes such as loss of the normal structure of hepatic cells, blood congestion, leukocytic infiltrations and fatty degeneration. Ultra structure results revealed abnormality in the nucleus, swelling of mitochondria, degeneration of endoplasmic reticulum, and increase of lysosomes and appearance of fat droplets. On the other hand, animals treated with Cd and rosemary showed an improvement in these changes and the tissue appears with normal structures. The results suggested that the ameliorative effect of rosemary extract may be due to its antioxidant properties in combating free radical-induced oxidative stress and tissue injury resulting from cadmium chloride.